Apple Pie
by CreationsGoneAwry
Summary: Raeger's a playboy, and Minori does her fair share of sleeping around, too, so every night they talk about their respective love lives over apple pie. Raeger comes up with an idea for a bet, though: who can go longer without having a date? T for suggestiveness and language.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **So... you know those stories that, no matter how hard you try to ignore the ideas for, it just wants to get written no matter what? Yeah, for me, this is that story. Just sitting there with 400 words in Word, begging me to click on it without closing it out... and I gave in.

At least it's an interesting take on my favorite couple, so I probably won't lose interest, meaning this fic won't go under like all my others! Haha.

Anyway, um, it won't be too long if I can help it (like under 10 chapters, I'm thinking/hoping), and you can probably already guess how it's going to turn out. But it's fun to write so whatever!

Characters are obviously OOC, unless you really do think Raeger's a playboy and Minori's a slut obsessed with apple pie, but that's beside the point. Headcanons are different from person to person, and it should stay that way!

As always, reviews, favorites, and follows are very much appreciated! Keep me motivated to write this :P

Thanks for reading!

* * *

**Apple Pie**

Ever since she moved in to Oak Tree Town, Minori had made it a daily habit to stop by the restaurant, especially after learning the chef there served her favorite flavor of pie, apple. It was just another reason to love the town.

Today was no different, of course, as she made her way to the door. It was open, she noted, probably to let in the warm summer air from outside.

"Hey, Raeger," she greeted cheerfully, taking her usual seat at the counter.

Raeger turned around, not even noticing her until she spoke, and smiled. "Oh, hey, Minori. Apple pie today?"

Minori grinned. "You know me so well."

"I try," he said with a laugh. He walked over to the refrigerator, pulling out the pie crust. He took off the cover and started preparing the cinnamon apple filling.

She took this opportunity to look around the restaurant. She'd already been in town for a month and even though she came here every night she'd never really paid attention to the interior. The bright yellow definitely added light and character to the tiny establishment.

"Have you always been working here?"

Her question seemed to catch him a little off-guard because he flinched at the sound of her voice.

"Ah, jeez, you surprised me, sorry," he told her sheepishly, clearing his throat. "Anyway, not really, no. My parents got divorced when I was pretty young, so I moved here with my grandfather around that time. I helped him out some with running the place but I didn't really take an interest in becoming a chef until he passed away."

Minori frowned. "Oh. I'm sorry to hear that."

"Don't worry about it. I'm happy to be here now."

He turned around again, bringing the pie pan with him. "On another subject, how are you and your boyfriend doing?"

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Don't call him that. He just follows me around like a lost puppy." She leaned on the counter, head in her hand, and watched him continue with the recipe.

"The way you're talking about him, it sounds like it could be Fritz." He eyed her warily but playfully.

"Pfft, yeah, right."

She built her lip, guilt plaguing her mind. She didn't exactly want to tell this to Fritz's best friend, but she'd already shot him down a number of times. He was just… a little too hyper for her, even to be just a hookup. Well, _especially _if it was just for a hookup. She didn't want news of their rendezvous to get around in such a small town like this.

Raeger slid a plate with a piece of the pie to her, reaching into the drawer and pulling out a fork as well.

"How about on your end?" she asked curiously.

Minori liked the relaxing time she and Raeger spent together late at night here. They would sit and chat about each other's relationships, both failed and steady, and it felt like for the first time in a long time she had someone to call her friend. That wasn't to say she didn't like anyone else in town – she just came here so often it felt like second nature already.

He inhaled a shaky breath, giving her a mean look when she laughed at him. "Well, Cora just ended things because she found one of those nice guys, and Deanna said she was moving away so that'll be over within just a few weeks, too."

"You're a nice guy though!" she defended, waving her fork in the air. "Well, nice enough to make me food every night, anyway."

He chuckled. "That doesn't mean much in the world of women, Minori."

She swallowed and frowned, looking up at him. "Really? I would go crazy for a guy who cooks for me, and the last time I checked, I was a woman."

He rolled his eyes. "You're different."

"How so?"

The chef sighed. She really wasn't letting this go, huh? "You're just different from the girls I date. It's, uh, how do I put this… oh! You're easy," he told her snidely.

Minori scoffed and raised her eyebrows. "What? I'm _easy? _If I was easy I wouldn't have ignored your attempts to get me into bed when I first moved here, and I certainly wouldn't have ignored Fritz either, because he practically threw himself at me every day for the first week!"

Shoot, she'd tried to keep that a secret, but in her anger it slipped out. He didn't seem to hear it though, too focused on what she said about him.

"Oh, please," he said, sarcasm lacing his voice, "you had the invitation written all over your face. You needed some action, and I guess it wasn't beneath you to move all the way out to the country to get it."

She stayed quiet now, chewing her pie slowly. No way was she going to tell him that actually _was _her reason to move here. One of her friends planned to take a trip to a nearby town but got off at the wrong stop, and that landed her in Oak Tree. She called Minori every day to gush about how cute the chef was, though, and when she got back, Minori was convinced enough to come herself.

She was definitely attracted to Raeger, the same chef her friend talked about, but his personality left more to be desired. If he didn't play around with girls so much, maybe things would be different, but on the other hand, it wasn't like she went lonely every night, either…

"Whatever," she told him roughly, knowing if she didn't at least say something he would feel like he won the argument. "Good pie."

Raeger glanced to the side awkwardly. "Thanks."

Once she finished she handed her plate to him, and he started on all the other dishes in the sink. He cleared his throat. "So, uh, what's on the agenda for tomorrow?"

She smiled, feeling the animosity die down finally; it never lasted very long anyway, but it didn't feel good to argue with a friend. "I think a new trader's coming into town, so I'll check out their wares, but other than that, same old, same old. I don't have a date until Friday."

He counted the days in his mind before talking again. "So you don't have anything to do for three days?"

"Isn't that what I just said…?" she asked, laughing hesitantly.

"Well, specifically tomorrow?"

The only thing she knew about tomorrow, Wednesday, was that he had the day off. Was he getting somewhere? "No?"

He smiled. "Then come with me. I'll show you a good place to have some fun."

…

It was nearly nine o'clock after Minori completed all her early morning chores. She'd quickly learned that being a farmer had its ups and downs, but even if she wanted to leave now, she didn't feel like she could anymore. Her animals and crops were depending on her from now on, and besides, the townspeople started to grow on her.

She really didn't intend to stay any longer than a week when she was planning her visit, but seeing the flyer for the farm in the newspaper, she figured she could waste a bit more time discovering what it was exactly she wanted to do with her life.

Minori headed down the mountain path, smiling as the bunnies all scurried away at the sight of her. Someday she'd befriend them, and they would like her without even realizing it. Animals had always liked her – just like boys.

She laughed at her thoughts, thankful nobody was around to see her interact with herself.

She passed the river and scared away a bird before finally making it into town, where she could already see Raeger waiting for her.

"All right, lover boy!" she greeted energetically after she caught up to him. "What's going on today?"

"Oh, hey," he responded, a little less chipper. "Y'know, when someone tells you noon, you don't have to show up at quarter after nine."

She frowned. "So I'm supposed to just hang out for another three hours?"

Raeger sighed, scratching his head. "No, I guess not. We can go early, we'll just have to run to catch the train." He turned around and started towards his house. "I'm gonna get ready – I'll meet you at the station in a little while!"

She crossed her arms and huffed. At least it wasn't a three-hour wait like she'd dreaded, and she supposed it was really her fault for being too excited and showing up early, and it was also her fault for moving here in the first place because there was nothing else to do…

But she didn't exactly feel like waiting, so she followed him to the restaurant and let herself in, taking her usual stool.

It was his day off, so there wasn't a pile of dirty dishes in the sink like normal, and the overlapping scents of cuisine weren't there, either. Come to think of it, this was her first visit to the restaurant when it was closed. Did he always go out on Wednesdays? She never saw him around town.

She heard footsteps from above her, meaning that Raeger was probably moving around a lot; she now understood why he closed up shop at nine PM. If he stayed open later and there were still guests downstairs, they'd hear him with his… more preferred guests up there.

She shuddered at the thought, though she supposed she really wasn't any better. It wasn't like she brought a new guy home every night, but more than a handful of guys had helped her break in her bed already. Most of them were old flames from high school looking for the same thing as her, just little flings, but sometimes she'd get a clingy guy who actually wanted to keep in touch.

Honestly, was it too much to ask for one night of passion, no strings attached?

"You're here?"

She turned her head to look at Raeger. "Yeah, sorry. You want me to leave?"

"No, no, it's fine. I'm all ready anyway."

He fastened his watch around his wrist before heading towards the door, but Minori stopped him.

"H-hey, hold on there." She stuck her arm out and stood up, taking a moment to give him a glance-over. "I've never seen you in this sort of casual wear."

"Oh." He chuckled. "Nothing special, really."

And it wasn't. He sported a normal pair of jeans, baggy around the legs, and a neat button-up shirt, top two buttons undone, to contrast with them. His hair was quite a bit messier, but other than that he really didn't look any different from normal.

"Maybe it's just the apron," she mused, wondering why she couldn't take her eyes off of him.

"What, you think I should put it on?"

She laughed. "No, never mind, forget I said anything." She took her arm away and followed him out the door.

"Could you lock it behind you?" he asked once they were outside.

"Who's gonna break into a restaurant in a small town?" She did as he asked, though, and twisted the lock on the door until it clicked.

"You never know, Minori," he said simply, though he sounded pretty disinterested. It was probably a normal thing to do, after all, since apparently he left town every Wednesday. "Oh, and let down your hair. Updos aren't sexy."

She stifled a laugh, not really caring about how attractive she looked – men still flocked to her either way. She untied her ponytail, though, and shook out her hair. Already she felt like it was choking her neck and wanted to put it back up. There was a reason she kept her hair ties with her all the time.

The two walked through the trade depot to get to the station and, unsurprisingly, the nine o'clock train had already left; it was already quarter after. Minori checked the schedule desperately.

"Isn't there another one for ten?" she asked, flipping through the pages to see if they'd just gotten the day wrong.

He sighed. "It doesn't seem like it. Whenever I go out I take the one at noon." He walked over to a bench and took a seat. "Guess we'll have to wait, after all. Care to join me?"

She rolled her eyes. "Can't we do something else until then? I'm not sitting on a bench with you for two more hours."

"I'm not gonna molest you, jeez." He ran a hand through his hair. "If I wanted you, I would've made it clear by now."

She pursed her lips, unconvinced. He'd certainly made it seem like he wanted her back when she moved in, but she let it slide, not wanting a repeat of last night's argument.

Reluctantly, she walked over to where he was sitting and plopped down next to him, making sure to angle her body away from him for good measure.

"Really?" he asked, amused. "You don't believe me?"

"I don't believe you can go a day without touching _any _woman, no," she replied icily.

He took in a deep breath, sinking against the wooden bench. "All right, then. How about we make a bet?"

Minori raised her eyebrow skeptically. "What kind of bet?"

"Well… how about we see how long each of us can go without having a date, romantic or otherwise, with the opposite sex?"

Her eyes widened. "What's the point? I mean, what's in it for me?"

"We get together once one of us caves in?"

Despite his joking tone, she didn't feel the urge to laugh. "No, really."

Raeger laughed for her, but then he looked thoughtful as he contemplated it. "Free apple pie from me for the rest of your life – _plus _I'll give you my recipe."

It didn't take long for her to grin. "I like the sound of that. But wait," she said, realizing something. "What if I lose? It's hard to resist temptation sometimes, y'know."

He smiled. "If you lose, you have to go on a date with me."

Minori's cheeks flushed. She knew it! She just _knew _that was the underlying motive!

She stood up and looked down at him. "Oh, you're on, Raeger! There is no way I am _ever _sleeping with you!"

After a moment or two she realized just how loud she'd screamed, receiving several awkward glances from strangers. She sat back down on the bench, head in her hands, embarrassed.

"Relax," he said simply. "All you have to do is resist that temptation that's so hard to."

She wished she didn't look up, because suddenly all she wanted to do was slap that stupid smirk off his face. Sure, he was attractive, but when he flaunted it all the time, it was just… annoying.

"Speak for yourself," she retorted with a glare. "If I even see you with another girl, just know I'll be watching every minute of it, waiting for you to screw up."

Raeger put a finger to his chin. "But what if I see you with another man? Can I come to your house and watch him undress you?"

"That's not going to happen! I'll make sure I win!"

"Well, best of luck to you, then," he said. "I guess… since this is a bet and all, now, I should probably change the plans for today."

"What?" she asked, confused. "What were your plans?"

He laughed. "I was, uh… gonna take you to a bar and let you meet some of my pals. They've been asking if I've seen any cute girls recently." He scratched his head.

Minori felt her cheeks heat up again but pinched herself to stop them. He was probably just making that up because he wanted to get in bed with her! Well, no way was she going to believe that.

"We're already here," she started, "so we might as well go do something, anyway. Could we just go to the city stores? There's some stuff I've been meaning to buy."

He sighed. "That sounds incredibly boring, but sure, why not? This way we can keep tabs on each other while we're at it."

She rolled her eyes but smiled nonetheless. In any case, it felt like their strange friendship was about to take a whole new turn.

* * *

_~CGA_


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Hello again! Sorry for the late-ish update. Long story short, I did a lot of yard work, traveled for 9 hours in one day, and got a heck of a lot of sunburn, so unfortunately writing wasn't the first thing on my mind.

But I hope the longer chapter makes up for it :)

Um... I've been thinking about changing the rating of this story to M. Not because I'm going to write sex scenes, but because I don't know how strict the rating system is with language. I guess it's okay for now (at T) and I don't ever plan on having my characters swear, but the language is getting kinda raunchy haha. Just lemme know what you think, thanks!

A humongous thank you to my reviewers and fave/followers! You guys are so awesome, it keeps me writing ^^

And if it feels like things are moving too fast, that's because this story isn't supposed to go over like 7 chapters :p Don't worry though, there's definitely going to be another/more RaegerXMinori stories coming from me. I just don't want to post them yet because then I'd get sidetracked with all my other multichaps (plus I'd clutter up the HM pages). All in due time.

Thanks for reading! On to chapter 2~

* * *

"Raeger!"

Minori banged on his bedroom door at the top of the stairs, wondering just why it was locked now of all times. It was nighttime, nine PM to be exact!

"I want my apple pie!"

Sure, she was being extremely selfish, but when she suffered from withdrawal like this, all her actions became pretty warranted. She hadn't even accepted any calls this past week.

Minori huffed. She really didn't understand how he could still be angry over something that happened a week ago. She'd apologized a bunch of times already, but of course he didn't accept any of them, resorting to cooping himself up in his room.

She came in every night this week, sometimes earlier than normal, but it was like he heard her footsteps and immediately shut himself away to avoid her.

"All right, I'll say it again! Sorry for… forgetting your birthday," she muttered, scuffing her feet on the planked floor. "But I already gave you a make-up present! And it's already been a week, and I'd really, _really _like some pie right now."

She waited for a few more moments but quickly decided to give up again. She had things to do, anyway. There were seeds to be sown, small trees to be cut, rocks to mine… and if she had to, she would do it without her favorite apple pie again. It wasn't that big a deal.

Her denial only made her crankier and she started stomping down the stairs, huffing some insults about the chef along the way. It didn't make her feel any better, but at least he would hear her.

Before she got to the bottom, the door swung open. She looked back and saw Raeger, but his expression almost made her rethink her insults. Was that really all it took to get him to come out, though?

"I thought you wanted to win this contest," he said blankly, staring down at her from the top of the stairs.

She started walking back up. "What do you mean?"

"Sweets raise libido – I thought that was why you always ordered your apple pie. You needed your fill so you could get through the night with your boytoys."

He seemed so serious saying what he did, and Minori couldn't help but gawk at him. Was he…? What?

She didn't even know where to start. "Boytoys? I already told you, they come crawling to me! And libido? You think I don't know th – well, I actually didn't know… But the bet? I thought _you _wanted to win! If that was true, why would you tell me that?"

Raeger covered his ears. "Don't shout like that."

"What?"

He rubbed at his head, messing up his hair even more than usual. "Lower your voice."

Minori raised her eyebrows skeptically. "Why? Do you have a girl up there? Because if you do, you're losing the b – _oh._"

She grinned knowingly. "You're hungover."

"Yes, now shut up."

She laughed loudly, completely disregarding that request. She crossed her arms and leaned against the walling of the stairway. "No way. You're only drinking to take your mind off of the sex, aren't you?"

Raeger groaned but took his hands away from his head. "So what if I am? It's not like you've been enjoying yourself either, so I figured why not take the edge… off, or whatever."

She laughed again, mainly at his inconsistency. "You're the one who made this stupid bet, y'know. If you can't handle it, maybe you should just declare me the winner right now and give me my free apple pie." She stuck her nose in the air proudly, but that only elicited a scoff from Raeger.

"You wish."

After a few quiet moments he headed down the stairs and walked to one of the restaurant's tables. Minori followed after him to mock him some more once he sat down.

"And there's also the fact that you _hate _wine," she said matter-of-factly. "I don't know what you import, but I at least know we don't get any wheat beer at Otmar's shop or anywhere else around here. Just what are you drinking?"

Raeger sighed and sank his head down to the table, resting it against the tablecloth and closing his eyes. "Your voice is incredibly annoying right now."

She rolled her eyes but didn't say anything else. She was about to go over to his kitchen area and yank out the "special ingredients" to get a reaction but he continued before then.

"I do hate wine, but I hate feeling worthless even more."

She snapped her head towards him and stared. "What are you talking about?"

"Well…" He raised his head up and laid it in his hand, propped up by his elbow. Minori took the seat across from him as he talked. "You're like me. You get some sort of satisfaction from being wanted, right?"

She resisted the urge to slap him for being so conceited and nodded instead. She figured she could see where Raeger's mind wandered to for the past week, anyway. Besides, she had to admit she wasn't entirely clueless to what he meant by that.

"I guess so, yeah."

He stared blankly at the wall behind her before going on again. "I've had to reject so many girls it pains me, literally – on Thursday, I dropped a full bowl of stew because my arm gave out."

Minori snickered, laughing more when he glared at her. "Your body just has to adjust to not being with eight different women every night, don't worry." She waved her hand playfully to brush it off. "Anyway, I guess, uh… I've been feeling strange lately, too. I've rejected a lot of calls I normally wouldn't, and they just kept calling back so my phone's actually bro – er, I mean, disconnected, right now."

He shared her laugh, knowing exactly what she meant by disconnected, and kept the conversation up. "I never really knew how hard or tiring rejecting people was until now. I've never had to do it."

"It was your idea," she reminded him. "I totally get it, though. Hearing guys whine to me about how horny they are isn't something I want to stick on my agenda. I get enough of that from you."

"Hey, now!"

Minori giggled. "I'm just teasing you. Y'know, you're not really that bad, I guess."

"Does that mean you want to purposely lose the bet?"

She reached across the table to give him a good slug on the arm, pursing her lips angrily. "No, it most certainly does not!"

"I'm just teasing you," he said mockingly.

She rolled her eyes, ready to spout one of her sarcastic retorts, but the door opened and a customer walked in.

Raeger immediately sprang up and greeted the guest, a woman with long, dirty blond hair not unlike Minori's. He took her order quickly and let her sit down at the bar while she waited.

On his way to the kitchen he shot Minori a somewhat apologetic look but otherwise ignored her as he worked. She couldn't say she really minded, but an introduction would've been nice.

But then again, it wasn't like they were together or anything. She and Raeger dated different people all the time, anyway, and neither one ever brought a date over, to show off or otherwise. This was fine, and besides, perhaps afterwards she could guilt him into making that stupid apple pie free of charge for the inconvenience.

In any case, though, she stayed glued to the chair, wanting to at least talk a little more about the subjects. When would the bet end? Was either of them about to win? Why was Raeger suddenly taking up drinking?

Well, she guessed she knew the answer to the last one well enough – after all, she'd resorted to some bad habits of her own lately, mainly rearranging her home's furniture several times a day – but there was still something that didn't quite click.

He wasn't being nearly as cheerful or friendly with the customer as he normally would, not to mention this customer was a female. Minori only caught a glimpse of her face but it didn't seem like she was ugly or anything, and as far as she knew Raeger tried to get with anything with two legs and large breasts. There were even a few awkward encounters she witnessed where he tried to pick up a crossdressing man, and the memories made her chuckle inwardly a bit.

He did mention having to reject a lot of girls, but she thought that was all over the phone. He was doing it in person, too, it looked like.

She smirked. It would be over in no time at all; Raeger couldn't keep this act up for very long.

This was going to be such an easy win, and she was going to save so much money.

"Waiter, waiter!" she called out, beaming when she saw his annoyed face and the woman's confused one. "Apple pie, please!"

…

"No, no, I _really _can't go out with you tonight," Minori reiterated for the umpteenth time. Somehow her friends in town managed to convince her to reconnect her phone (though unbeknownst to them, it was beyond repair so she had to buy a new one), and now she was being chatted at by her friend from the city. She was trying to get her to come back for the night and have a few drinks, meet some lucky guys.

She sighed. It wasn't like she could tell her about the bet, because she knew Kathy would drag her there anyway, saying "you need to lose the bet so you can get laid already." Kathy meant well, but she was the rather pushy type.

"Why are you declining me?" Kathy asked in a whiny voice, as if it would make Minori rethink her decision.

She didn't though, not even for a second. "I can't. I've got… some errands to do."

There was a sigh from the other line. "Minori, you really suck at lying. We both know that. Just tell me the truth."

Minori bit her lip. She hated keeping secrets from her, but honestly they'd been drifting apart ever since she moved to Oak Tree, and that was already going on two months now. Besides, she just didn't feel up to getting drunk and grinding on some random guy tonight. She needed a lie. Fast.

"Okay, okay, I give up," she said, coming up with one good enough to fool her friend. "There's this festival tonight, the fireworks festival, and I was… kind of hoping to ask someone out afterwards, y'know…"

She silently hoped Kathy wouldn't recall anything on the calendar, if she'd even checked it, from her own trip to the town last year. The fireworks festival was over a week ago, but there was absolutely nothing romantic about the chicken or harvest festivals coming up.

"Really?" Kathy asked excitedly.

Minori's eyes widened. She actually bought it?

"Is it that really hot chef I've been telling you about? What's his name again? Braig… Ray… Gray…"

"It's Raeger," Minori finished for her, laughing at some of the names Kathy came up with. "And, um, yeah, it's him. I just… he's so hot!" she said, suddenly just as excited as her friend. It wasn't a lie, either, because he really was quite attractive – from a distance, anyway. She could do without a personality and hobby that matched her own.

Kathy shrieked from the other end. "I know, I know! Isn't he just so dreamy? Everything you could ever ask for?"

Minori's face suddenly fell in disappointment. Kathy probably got sucked in by his appearance, then, if she wasn't commenting on his horrible personality. "Ah… yeah! Everything and more." She laughed awkwardly.

They made small talk about this and that until Kathy made a gasping noise and started apologizing.

"It's already seven! Don't you need to go to that festival soon?"

Minori raised an eyebrow but quickly remembered her lie. "Oh! You're right, jeez, time flies so fast when I'm talking to you." She laughed with her friend, not completely faking but glad for the end of the conversation.

"Okay, bye Minori! Call me and let me know how it goes!"

She smiled. "Will do. See you."

Minori reattached the phone to the receiver on the wall and sighed, sinking down into a chair. She loved her friends back home, honestly, but sometimes she realized just how superficial they were.

Moving into the town made her so much more aware of a lot of things. How much she missed her parents, for one, but she was already twenty-two so she couldn't rely on them forever anyway. It felt like her friends were the ones who'd changed, but once she stopped to think about it, it was easy to see that it was her.

She'd gained respect for nature and animals, and especially farmers and how they earned their livings, and she'd met so many wonderful people and –

"Stalker!"

She clutched her chest, attempting to stop her heart from protruding through, and stared angrily at Raeger. "What… what do you think you're doing here? And in my _doorway? _Just what…" She heaved a sigh. "How long have you been there?"

He was a bit taken aback by her outburst but the smirk returned to his face after a moment. "Don't worry; I only heard the part about you and your friend gushing over my attractiveness."

Minori smacked her forehead. "How did you even get in?"

He shrugged indifferently. "Looks like you forgot to lock your door. I knocked four times, honestly, and you didn't answer. I could hear your voice, though."

"So you decided to just barge in?"

"Well, yeah," he said as if it was the most normal thing ever.

She groaned and tilted her head up towards the ceiling in frustration. "Look, you can't just – okay, fine, whatever. Just come in, you're letting in all the bugs."

Raeger laughed at her awkwardness but did as he was told, closing the door behind him. He took a few moments to glance around her house. "Y'know… I think I've only been here once before now, and I can understand why now." His expression turned sour as he eyed a pile of cardboard boxes in the corner next to the restroom. "You're very…"

"I like feeling comfortable at home," she said a bit too defensively, averting his gaze. "My parents weren't the neatest of people when I was growing up, so it's just what I'm used to."

She did feel a bit embarrassed by the messiness of everything, though, so when a few awkward silent moments passed she cleared her throat.

"So… why'd you come?"

He shrugged. "It's Wednesday. I'm bored."

"And… you figured I could entertain you because you can't go play with your girls," she said, nodding in understanding. It'd been a long time since she'd seen any of her old dates, too.

"But of course!" he agreed in mockery, a sarcastic expression playing on his face. He walked halfway through the large living area to the sofa and sank down, propping his feet up on the coffee table a foot away. "So entertain me."

Minori narrowed her eyes. That was her favorite coffee table; she didn't even allow herself to rest her feet on it. "The stuff you say can really be taken the wrong way, y'know," she said as she threw his feet off the table, making sure to glare at him so he got the point not to do it again.

He raised an eyebrow. "What did I say?"

She rolled her eyes. "Never mind, then. Just… do as you like, I guess. The television is behind the curtain but I don't have a remote so you'll have to get up yourself to turn it on and change channels. There's stuff in the fridge if you're hungry, but don't eat my cheesecake or I will viciously murder you and take over your restaurant."

Raeger laughed. "Again with those sweets. This bet will be over in no time, Minori." He sat up and glanced over to her. "So what are you going to do, if you're just leaving me here?"

"I have to tend to my crops growing in the other fields," she said, tying her hair up. "There's flax and mushrooms that need harvesting, and I think I have some odds and ends seeds in my pockets, so I'll look for a place for those."

"Sometimes I think you work harder than I do."

She smiled playfully. "I think everybody in this town works harder than you," she teased. "Even Fritz."

"Whoa, that was a low blow." He frowned.

Minori didn't respond, instead taking her leave through the front door. She felt a little strange leaving Raeger alone in her house, but just because he was a womanizer didn't mean he didn't know how to treat a house… right?

She sighed. She couldn't think about that right now. There really _were _crops that she needed to play around with first.

As her hand reached into her work clothes' pocket, she pulled out a few bags of seeds. Tomato, onion, spinach, and corn seeds revealed themselves in between tufts of pocket lint.

"Where did I get spinach seeds…?" she mused aloud. Spinach couldn't even be planted until next month.

She shrugged nonchalantly and returned them all to her right pocket. Maybe she just got them from being so friendly with Asche and doing some of her requests.

She clenched her fist in front of her, eager to get this done and over with. It was kind of funny, actually – she'd never, ever imagined herself to be a farmer, of all things. She was a city girl at heart, yet she found the farm work wasn't as tiring as she'd expected it to be. She liked it a lot.

Maybe, given enough time, some more guys would move in and give her more to live here for.

…

Minori pushed the door to her house open and trudged through it, panting. She let out several deep sighs as she dragged herself over to the sofa and leaned against it, resting her head on the back.

"Jeez, you sound exhausted."

"R-Raeger?!"

She jumped back instantly, forgetting all about her uninvited guest and his whereabouts. She tilted her head back and sighed, trying to calm herself down. "Gods… do you get some sort of sick thrill from scaring people like that?"

Raeger chuckled, turning around on the sofa to look at her. His eyes widened seeing the state she was in. "Don't you always brag about not getting tired from your work?"

She glared. "I don't want to hear that right now. What happened was totally beyond my control."

He didn't seem to press the matter any further, which she was grateful for, and she trod past him to get to the restroom.

"I'm going to get in the bath. You can stay if you so wish, but I'll probably just conk out afterwards so I won't be very entertaining like you wanted me to."

"Wait," he called out before she got to the door. His face looked a bit confused. "You're really not upset that I'll be here while you're in the bath?"

Minori scoffed and rolled her eyes. "The door has a lock, y'know. Besides, we're really not each other's type anyway."

He stared into space for a moment. "Is that so…"

"What?"

"No, nothing, nothing at all," he replied quickly, waving his hands in front of him. "Go take your bath. I'll be waiting." He flashed a grin, making her just a tad uncomfortable, but she shrugged it off apathetically.

"Yeah, sure."

She shut the door behind her, making sure he heard the already obvious clicking of the lock, before starting the water. After a few minutes had passed and the tub wasn't full yet, she almost regretted not starting it before she left.

As she stripped, she let out some quiet painful yelps where the clothes brushed over her wounds. Really, just how did she manage to anger an entire flock of birds like that? She thought animals liked her…

A sigh escaped her lips. That obviously wasn't true. She guessed she'd just have to try even harder to earn their trust – and not their pecks. And as if that wasn't enough, after the torment they put her through, she'd dropped the packets of seeds she was going to plant, and they opened, spreading the seeds in all the wrong places. That was why she was covered in all the dirt – she was looking for and picking up all the seeds she could save because those were her last tomato seeds and Asche wouldn't come back for a few more days…

"Ouch!" she cried, forgetting about the bruises she acquired from overfilling her watering can. It seemed like ever since she and Raeger started that stupid bet she'd been getting clumsier and clumsier.

"Minori? Are you all right?"

_Speak of the devil, _she thought. "Um, yeah! No need to worry, I just got a little banged up outside!"

He scoffed from the other side of the door. "Well, that much was obvious. Do you need some help?"

"No!" she shouted a little too loudly. "I mean, um… maybe, but not right now." Great, now he was going to think –

"So you want me to wait until you're getting out?" There was no masking the eager anticipation in his voice.

She sighed. "Jeez, Raeger, way to be subtle."

He laughed. "Are you sure you're fine?"

Minori winced in pain as she finally managed to yank off her shirt; her arms were incredibly sore, she noticed, though she didn't remember doing anything _too _strenuous. Ah, wait, there was yesterday when she hoed up all those new fields… Her body was only responding to it now, then.

"Y-yeah, it's all good in here," she replied lamely, knowing even he wouldn't buy that. In the few seconds he took to respond, though, she could try and pretend nothing was wrong. After all, there were only her pants and undergarments left now, and those couldn't have been too terribly hard to remove.

Her slacks left her easily enough, but when she reached up to unhook the clasp on her bra, she was met with the resistance of pain once more. "Ow, ow, ow…"

Raeger knocked on the door. "Hurry up and let me in so I can help."

"Absolutely not!" she retorted angrily. There was just no way she was going to let Raeger in there so he could gawk at her nearly-naked form. She would _never _give him that satisfaction as long as she lived.

His sigh brought forth her own, though. She really wasn't even close to his type – her breasts were average size at best, and she wasn't that skinny. Another small reason she decided to try out this farm work was so that she could get her exercise. She'd already dropped ten pounds, but that was way beside the case…

Just for good measure, she tried lifting her arms up just the little bit to reach the clasp, but she quickly gave up.

She could feel the grains of dirt sticking to the skin underneath, so it wasn't like she could skip out on the bath tonight.

There seemed to be no other way to go about this. Curse her stupid body and its intolerability towards pain.

"Okay…" she started slowly, "but you must absolutely not look at anything unless it is one hundred percent necessary! Do you promise?"

She swore she could _hear _his lips curve into that smirk.

"I promise."

It didn't sound completely insincere, but she couldn't trust it wholeheartedly. Though, she really did have no other choice – even if she unlocked the door now she would still have to streak through her living room to get to the phone and call up one of her girlfriends to help, and Raeger would undoubtedly see her anyway.

With a gulp she swallowed the rest of her pride and turned around to unlock the door. She squinted her eyes shut as she slowly twisted the knob to open up the door, grimacing in anticipation. She already knew that he wouldn't keep his promise, but she guessed she just had to see what his reaction would be –

"Flowers? Really?"

Her cheeks flushed and she turned her head away, immediately covering her chest with both arms, regretting her decision tenfold already. "I knew this was a bad idea. Get out, out!"

Raeger laughed. "Relax. It's not like you've got anything I haven't seen before."

She opened her mouth to retort, snapping her head towards him, but he clamped a hand over her mouth to keep it shut.

"Sorry, I guess that was a little insensitive. Anyway… where – how do you need my help?"

Minori narrowed her eyes as she tried to speak, obviously muffled by his hand.

He yanked it away. "Oh, sorry."

She cleared her throat awkwardly, shyly turning away once more, rubbing her left arm for comfort. "My… my bra… I can't take it off myself." After that confession she felt her heartbeat skyrocket. She'd never exactly been in this sort of situation before unless her partner was just as stripped as she was, and just the fact that this was Raeger, the guy she maybe sort of still had an unrequited thing for, put her on edge a little.

He snorted in the most unattractive way, muffling it with his hand off to the side. That didn't stop her from glaring at him, though.

"Okay, okay, turn around," he told her briefly, spinning her around himself.

"Wait!" she cried, trying to fight his hands.

He was confused for a moment or two but then realized what she was probably so worried about. "Is this why you're in so much pain?"

Raeger ran his hand along the bruises on her back, his touch so gentle that she barely even winced when he brushed over the patches. She closed her eyes, feeling all the heat in her body rise up to her face, and kept her whimpers to herself. Even though his fingers' tantalizing touch felt so good, she knew the only reason he was doing it was because of his underlying motive.

And that was to sleep with her.

It wasn't that she didn't want it to happen – because sometimes it was honestly all she ever thought about. It was more like she didn't want things to become awkward in an already too-small town. If they hooked up for a night, they'd still have to see each other every day because of the flow of things in the town; either that, or they'd have to start a relationship, and that wasn't something she was comfortable with in the slightest. All her past relationships had ended very badly, and that didn't seem like a good way to settle into town here.

As her thoughts continued to race, Raeger's hand began wandering dangerously low and she flinched.

"R-Rae…"

He retracted his hand immediately. "Sorry." He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Um, just stay put there, and I'll take it off for you."

She nodded, not daring to say anything else when her mind was this cloudy. She'd be lying if she said she didn't enjoy that little touch session.

His fingers slipped in between her skin and the cloth, and there was just a bit of tension before she felt the article of clothing fall off of her shoulders and onto the floor. It was rather quick, probably because of his experience with it, she noted.

She gulped, nearly strangling herself the way she attached her arms to her naked chest. "Y-you can go now, thank you." Her arms were starting to feel pained again, this time due to the tension of keeping them glued to her torso.

"Are you sure?" he asked, a playful tone in his voice that made her shiver. "You don't need me to stick around and help you take off your panties?"

"No!" she shouted instantly, turning around to glare at him. She wanted to slap him but for one, the muscles in her arm would suffer more, and for two, that meant her chest would be unguarded for the duration.

Raeger laughed. "All right, I got it." He pinched her side, wiggling around some of the flab that remained there with another laugh. "It's hard to believe you get so many dates when you're out of shape like this."

She turned her head, blushing. "I-it's nothing…"

"Nothing? There's stretch marks that are only just now starting to fade!"

"Then don't look!" she shrieked, closing her eyes. When he didn't respond she opened them back up to look at him, wishing she hadn't said that. He actually looked a little taken aback. She sighed. "Sorry. I'm just… a little insecure, I guess."

He smiled. "And that's why you take up any offer a guy gives you. It makes you feel better about yourself, right?"

Minori nodded slowly. This was beginning to feel like deja vu - though, if he really was drunk it would make sense why he didn't remember. "I guess… you could say that."

He ran a hand through his hair. "I get it. I mean, I understand why. I do the same thing, really." He sighed. "We've all got our bruises, inside and out."

"What?" she asked, eyes widened in shock. Raeger was such a playboy, though; didn't every guy who slept around have the same ego? At least, that was what happened in her experiences…

Raeger shook his head. "Never mind, forget I said anything. You really have nothing to worry about, though." He leaned down and planted a kiss on the same patch of skin he just pinched. "Your body is beautiful."

"Wh-wh-what?" she stuttered, cheeks as red as the strawberry soap on her vanity.

He chuckled. "Just stating the truth." He turned around and headed for the door, but glanced back towards her briefly. "When you come out, I'll make some of the apple pie you love so much. I went through your fridge to make sure you had all the ingredients – you don't, but I can improvise, I guess."

"Thanks," she said simply, smiling despite her blush. "I'll see you in a little bit."

He nodded, then went through the door and shut it. She didn't lock it this time.

She heaved a sigh and released the clutch her arms had on herself, slipping off her remaining undergarment before stepping into the bath. The water was already starting to cool down a bit, so she probably wouldn't soak for too long.

As she sank further down into the water, she exhaled away most of her troubles from the day, though one stuck out in her mind.

Rosy pink dusted her cheeks as she looked down at her left side. There weren't any marks from his kiss, but the general area felt very hot.

_He's just teasing,_ she reminded herself briskly. It meant nothing; he was just getting his fix through her. If anything, she should've taken it as a compliment, because he wasn't hitting on his customers but on her instead, and if she really did harbor the feelings she thought she did for him… then that was something to be at least a little bit happy about.

But then again, maybe she was just growing more attached to him because of the whole bet. She hadn't been with any other men (apart from Fritz's attempted advances, which she still felt guilty about), so that caused her to latch herself onto any guy who even acted like he wanted her.

Her thoughts only confused her even more, so for the moment, she let everything go and dunked her head under the water. This wasn't the time to think about such things; she could dwell on them later, when Raeger was gone and after she'd eaten her promised pie.

Though, at least for now, she had to admit, this bet wasn't the worst thing that had happened to her.

* * *

_~CGA_


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Here's chapter 3!

I... don't really have much to say other than sorry this chapter's kind of all over the place, haha. Literally JUST got done writing it, so I'm kind of still in the mood and everything, don't feel like ranting right now (though I'm doing it anyway, come on).

Thanks to all my readers, as usual! It makes me so utterly, incredibly, ridiculously happy to see a new review or get an email about someone favoriting/following something I wrote, so even if you only like my stuff a little bit, please add it to your list! I cry with glee~!

Also yay, my birthday was on the 9th, I'm finally 20, so I'm almost as old as some of the regular crusties around here!

Oh wait, I do have something to say. Actually, this was supposed to be chapter 4, not 3, so if there's anything that seems strange, that's probably why. I bet y'all are happy it's this early, though~

Enjoy!

* * *

She wasn't here.

Minori looked around frantically, searching the crowds for her familiar shade of gray hair.

She had to be here. She just had to. She promised. She'd told her there was supposed to be a piece of music being played that she would never forget.

"Eda?" she called out, to no avail. Where was she?

Otmar didn't know anything. Veronica didn't either. And none of her friends proved very useful at all.

The only person who even remotely showed the same concern she did was Fritz.

"You mean Granny's not here?" he asked, raising an eyebrow quixotically.

Minori shook her head and desperately began firing questions at him. Naturally, Fritz couldn't answer any of them, but he cut her off to say something again.

"H-hold on, Minori. Let's go walk around after the festival and see if we can find her. Maybe she just… got lost or something, y'know?"

She smiled halfheartedly, knowing he was trying his best, and she thanked him quietly. If there were any traces of his crush on her, he sure learned how to hide them well after two seasons of her being here.

She scanned the crowds of tourists and townspeople alike one more time, hoping that maybe she'd just overlooked something, but she sighed and returned to her seat once she realized this wasn't the case.

Minori rested her face in her hands, counting to ten while exhaling her breath to calm herself down. It'd been quite a while since she'd let personal matters get out of hand like this, and even longer since something had bothered her so much.

Eda reminded her of her grandmother – the doting grandmother who always handed out candy and made hot tea and pie. She was too nice for anything bad to happen to her.

She laughed despite herself; maybe she was only attached to Eda because she made apple pie every time she came to visit.

No, that couldn't be it. Otherwise she would be more attached to Rae –

"Minori?"

Even though she knew who it was already, she sat up to look at Raeger and acted surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," he said with a light chuckle. "You look kinda down in the dumps."

She smiled. "No, I'm fine, really. Honestly," she added when he eyed her suspiciously.

Raeger glanced around nonchalantly, though he wore his signature half-smirk. "Then why were you running around aimlessly, looking like you'd lost something important?"

She clenched her fist by her thigh. Why was he so observant? "It's just that…" She briefly remembered a conversation she had with Raeger a while back about him losing his grandfather when he was younger. They were the same age now, so it wasn't exactly the same thing, but…

"I'm really worried about Eda," she conceded in the end, biting her lip after she spoke.

He turned his head around to look at the festival of people before returning his gaze to her. "She's not here?"

Minori shook her head. "She told me no matter what she would be here. She said they were going to play a song from her childhood, and she would tell me all about it here at the festival."

She suddenly felt very guilty for not congratulating her friends for their participation. Mistel, Lillie, and Elise had all been playing their instruments to the best of their abilities, and she hadn't so much as offered one word of praise to any of them. She thought about getting up and walking over to them to talk, but then Raeger continued and she remembered he was there.

"Do you want me to go with you?"

She tilted her head. "Where?"

He laughed. "To Eda's house, silly."

"Oh."

Well, now she had two things to feel bad about. "Actually, um… Fritz already offered, and since he's kinda more close to her than even I am, I think I should ask him first – "

"Don't worry about it," he told her in a stern tone.

Her eyes widened. Did she do something wrong? "S-sorry."

"No, don't apologize. Just – "

"Hey, Minori!" Fritz's voice boomed from behind Raeger. He turned around to face the farmer boy, and even though Minori couldn't see his face, she could tell from Fritz's that Raeger was probably making a scary expression.

Fritz carefully stepped around him and came face to face with Minori, smiling all the while. "Are you ready to go?" he asked excitedly, as if nothing in the world was wrong.

Minori turned her head to look back at Raeger, and seeing his sour expression made her grin. "Yeah, sure! Let's go!"

She stood up and began walking away with Fritz, making some small talk about how good the music was this year – though she didn't exactly have experience with the previous years, she could tell it was a festival that got better with age because of the townspeople's comments throughout it.

"I kinda wish I knew how to play the piano so I could get onstage with them and – ouch!"

In an instant she was yanked away from Fritz and under Raeger's grasp. She found him glaring and just glared right back.

"What's the matter with you?" she asked, pulling her arm out of his hand's reach and rubbing at it tenderly. There was a red mark starting to form already.

"Remember the bet," he said simply, arms crossed.

Minori raised an eyebrow. "Like I'd do anything with Fritz." The guilt that was previously associated with a statement like that didn't come to her anymore; it really did feel like the two were just friends again. "If that's all you have to say, then I'm lea – "

"Don't take all day."

"What?"

Raeger glanced away, rubbing the back of his neck. "I… wanna take you someplace later today. Do you think you'll be done by four?"

She felt her cheeks heat up, getting her hopes up suddenly even though she knew this was so not the place for it. "Y-you can't rush something like a serious talk. I'll be done when I've said everything I needed to." She made sure to fake scowl at him, letting him know she was still upset by his bad attitude.

"Yeah, that's fine. I'll be waiting!"

He waved to her as he began racing away, making his way to Goddess knew where. Once he was out of sight she blushed once more.

The premise of their bet was to see who could go longer without having a date, but… what they were doing was technically considered a date, wasn't it? There was the time they went to the city to shop as soon as the bet was established, but that was strictly business – she had to buy some clothes and certain gardening tools she couldn't get in Oak Tree. They went separate ways and even came back on different timed trains, so there really wasn't anything that happened.

But this time, it was different, right?

Not that she was hoping for something to happen or anything! She shook her head to try and banish the thoughts from her mind.

"Jeez, what's his problem?"

Fritz's voice thankfully provided just the opportunity she needed to escape her thoughts, and she looked at him with the same smile from before.

"Ah, he's just being grumpy old Raeger." She laughed, brushing it off.

"Hey, are you okay? Your face is pretty red."

At that her cheeks only flushed more. She didn't even think about that. "Y-yeah, everything's fine! We should go now, right?"

Fritz nodded in agreement. "Yeah! Granny's nice and all, but if you keep her waiting she'll hold it against you for ages!"

Minori giggled alongside him. They were stopping by unannounced, so how could they keep her waiting? She guessed it _was _Fritz, though, so he'd probably done something stupid in the past to make her skeptical of everything he did. She briefly remembered the time Eda had her help out with herding the chickens with Fritz, but he left her all alone.

As she said her goodbyes to everybody at the festival, though, guilt plagued her being again. She watched Raeger's profile grow smaller and smaller as she walked away, and she felt a sense of longing.

Despite being so worried about Eda just minutes ago, she suddenly wasn't the first thing on her mind anymore.

…

"Granny, I'm here!" Fritz called out once he pushed in the door to Eda's house. "I brought Minori too!"

Minori smiled shyly as she entered behind him, expecting to find Eda seated at her dining table like nothing was wrong.

And, of course, there she indeed was, a warm teacup in her hand. As soon as she saw the kids, though, she quickly put it back down on the saucer and got up to hug them both.

Minori laughed awkwardly as Eda embraced her, greeting her politely as usual. She gestured to the table, telling them to sit, while she waddled to the kitchen to grab the teapot and pour some tea for them.

"We were worried about you," Minori told her after a moment. It wasn't even that she was in a rush to get out anymore, but she didn't want to beat around the bush when there were so many things on her mind right now.

"Oh?" came Eda's retort. "Why? What's the matter?"

Minori bit her lip and glanced over at Fritz, who apparently got the hint for once. He cleared his throat.

"You missed the music festival today!"

She didn't miss a beat in her steps, though, grabbing a few teacups from a higher cupboard and setting them on the table. "Was that today? I'm sorry."

"You told me you'd come," Minori whined, taking the initiative now. "You said you'd tell me about all the stuff you did when you were my age."

Eda faced her and smiled, though her eyes reflected a bit of sadness. "I'm sorry, dear. If you'd like, I could still tell you here, though there won't be any music."

Minori shook her head. "No, it's okay. We… just came to talk." She inhaled a shaky breath, taking another look at Fritz to see if they were still on the same page, but when she didn't get a responding glance she continued anyway. "Is everything okay?"

Eda finished pouring the tea into the cups and took her seat across from Fritz, though she kept her gaze on Minori. "Honestly, there isn't anything to worry about. You shouldn't dirty up your pretty face with such a look."

"Granny, if there's something we oughta know, you should say it outright!" Fritz scolded. Minori smiled at him even though she didn't feel so well anymore, thankful he wasn't the idiot people normally made him out to be. Sure, he was dense, but he was thoughtful where it counted.

For the first time in a while, Eda let loose a sigh, surprising both the younger farmers. "Lately, it seems… my body doesn't want to listen to me anymore." She waved a hand in front of her, telling them not to worry about it, though. "The weather is growing colder and colder with each day, and I'm not sure my legs could carry me down the hills and winding paths this town has to offer anymore."

She took a sip of her tea and smiled. "Thank you both for worrying so much about me, but I can assure you I'm still fine. Drink your tea before it gets cold," she told them, sipping some more of her own.

Minori wasn't convinced, and from her peek at Fritz, neither was he, but they took the answer in stride. She warmed up her hands with the cup a bit more before finally downing it – she didn't particularly like tea, so she found that gulping it all down at once made the taste not so horrendous. She wouldn't ever tell anybody, though, apart from maybe Iris because it didn't seem like she would hold it against her.

"Well, I still got crops to take care of, so I should go back," Fritz announced, getting up out of the chair. He looked over at Minori. "You comin', Minori?"

"Ah." She nodded, getting up as well. "Yeah. I haven't let my cows out yet," she said lamely; even Fritz knew that was a lie. Her cows were out first thing in the morning, just like Minori herself.

Neither rival farmer said anything about it, though.

"You only just arrived, though," Eda said. "You two are more than welcome to stay and chat a while."

Minori bit her lip. She didn't want to just run out after such a quick session, but… "I really should go. There's something I need to do later."

"Like hang out with Raeger?" Fritz provided helpfully, though not quite as subtly as Minori would've liked.

"N-no! I mean yes, I'm going out with Raeger!" She was all too aware of both the blush on her face and the two pairs of eyes directed towards it. Did Fritz hear their conversation…? She thought he was too far away at the time.

"A-anyway, I should get going." She bowed quickly to Eda. "Thank you for having me. I'll stop by another time to see how you're doing."

Fritz offered a bow of his own and followed her out the door just as quickly as she'd exited.

"Minori, I know I'm kinda dense, but… you didn't hafta make it that obvious!" he said with a laugh, but when she looked back she saw a pained expression on his face.

No way. Did he still like her?

She bit her lip. "S-sorry. I just wasn't expecting you to say that," she admitted with a sheepish grin, shyly rubbing her neck, thankful her hands were nice and warm now.

Fritz groaned and tugged at his hair, sinking down to the ground with his knees high up in the air. "Does this mean I gotta admit defeat?"

Her cheeks flushed. "W-what do you mean?"

"Don't tell me you're dense, too?" He turned his head away, though Minori could tell there was a faint trace of red coloring his face.

Her eyes widened. "Fritz, do… do you like me?"

"Gah!" he shouted, hiding his face with both hands. "Why do you gotta say it like that?"

His voice was a little muffled, but she heard it clearly enough. So this was really happening… She closed her eyes and sighed. He'd made subtle little passes towards her throughout her stay already, but it was never anything this intense. She'd already had to reject countless guys since the stupid bet started, and she didn't really feel like rejecting another one, especially not somebody as innocent and nice as Fritz, but…

Minori looked down and rubbed at her arm. "I'm sorry. I… I like Raeger."

Even though she didn't believe herself one hundred percent on that, her cheeks flared up with heat and she closed her eyes again. It might not have been one hundred percent, but if she knew her heart like she knew her body, it was at least seventy-five percent true?

"I know that already," he said dejectedly, sighing himself.

A few quiet moments passed, and it was then that she realized they were standing really close to her farm. As she already knew, her cows, Hanako and Mushy, were out and about, grazing around the fenced in area she made for them. Just outside the fence was her cat, Ibuki, watching the cows intently, probably figuring out how to pounce on such a large animal.

She smiled seeing them. Life would've been so much simpler if she could've been born as an animal. She wouldn't have to deal with feelings or death or rejection or pain. Animals only knew hunger and warmth, right? If she got an owner half as kind as she thought herself to be, she would be set for life.

Another groan from Fritz brought her out of her mind and she stared down at him, taken aback to find him staring at her, too.

"Ah, um…" she stuttered stupidly, not knowing what to say. "I'm really sorry, Fritz."

"Ugh. Stop apologizing." He got up and dusted off his pants. "It's all right. Raeger's a good guy, really. He's A-okay in my book!" To prove his point he stuck his thumb up in the air.

Minori laughed, though the air was still a bit uncomfortable. "Are you sure you're okay?"

He inhaled a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure." He turned his head towards her and outstretched his hand. "I'll try to give up on you, but if something happens before then, keep me in mind!" He laughed when the red tint crept back up to her cheeks.

She took his hand and shook it with vigor, silently letting him know that it would probably never happen. He didn't seem to catch on, but that was okay. She smiled. "I'll see you later."

"Yep!" He turned to walk away. "Have fun on your date!"

Minori flinched in surprise. "I-it's not a date!" she shouted, clenching her fists.

"Yeah, yeah, sure!" he responded, and then he sprinted away, leaving her alone on the farm.

She sighed. Rejecting someone really did take a lot of energy. As she made her way back to her house, she briefly wondered how Raeger was doing.

…

It wasn't quite four o'clock yet, but Minori wandered to the restaurant anyway, wondering if Raeger would be ready early like she was.

Today was a festival, which meant the restaurant would be closed, so there was no reason for him not to be ready, right?

"Raeger?" she called, pushing open the door. If he wasn't downstairs, he was probably up in his room. She took a glance around the place but didn't see him, so she walked to the stairway and went up.

She contemplated opening that door, too, but she didn't want something awkward to happen – maybe he just got out of the shower or something – so she settled for knocking.

Though when the door opened before she could, she didn't quite know what to do.

"If you keep your mouth open like that, flies could get in."

She slapped him on the arm with a stern look, which he only laughed at. "I take it you're ready too?"

Too? So he was just waiting for her?

"If you were ready, you could've just called me, y'know."

"I did, but it looks like you already headed out by then."

"Oh," she said lamely. "Oh well, then. We're both here, so let's go."

He nodded. "I think there's a three-thirty train. If we hurry we might be able to catch it."

She found herself rolling her eyes at that – how did he know when all the trains were coming? Had he really lived here that long doing the same thing every week that he knew the schedules by heart? But then, as they walked, she realized he wasn't in the same bad mood as before.

"What was the matter earlier?" she asked, eyeing the way the fall wind immediately pushed his hair every which-way. He fumbled with the lock for a moment before responding.

"Earlier?"

"You seemed kind of mad."

Raeger stared up at the sky, probably trying to remember what she was talking about, but when an inkling of understanding showed up on his face he shrugged. "I don't care much for festivals."

She scoffed. "That's the biggest load of nonsense I've heard all day." And she'd been with _Fritz _for the majority of the day already.

"Fine. I'll tell you later."

Minori glared at him. "I don't wanna know if you're just going to be a crabapple once I bring it up."

He shrugged apathetically again. "Whatever."

She clenched her fists. He was so irritating sometimes! How could so many girls flock to him all the time if he treated them like he treated her? She sighed and ran a hand through her hair, messing up the ponytail, which brought a thought to her mind.

"We're not going to a bar or anything, right? I don't have to look good?" She thought back to when they first made the bet and he told her to let her hair down because it didn't look good up.

He chuckled. "You alw—s l—k g—d."

She stared, confused. "What was that?" Stupid wind; it couldn't have been a coincidence that he waited for the breeze to pick up before speaking.

"You always look good."

Or maybe it was.

"Wh-what?"

"Do you need me to repeat it again?" He turned towards her, and she expected his smirk to be plastered on his face as usual. But instead of that, there was… almost an earnest smile. For a moment she could feel her heartbeat pick up to a speedy pace, but she shook her head and scolded herself.

"You're good," she said, "really sly."

Raeger just chuckled again. "You don't believe me?"

"Not at all. I don't trust you as far as I can throw you."

While Raeger laughed, she blushed again, knowing that after she moved here, her strength had been slowly increasing.

…

"This is super cute!" Minori exclaimed, holding the top up to her torso.

Her face quickly turned sour, though, once she tried stretching the fabric. It was a camisole. Not only was it too cold to wear this now, but if she managed to fit into it, she would probably have a muffin top.

She pinched her sides angrily, telling her body she hated it. At least she'd lost a few pounds, though, so it wasn't entirely a waste, her moving here.

With a sigh, she set the article of clothing back down in its pile, even folding it up neatly so the workers wouldn't get mad. Throughout high school she'd gotten herself a retail job; she didn't stay there long because it was obviously horrible, not to mention all the name-calling she'd been put through, but she remembered enough to recall the pain of folding something nicely only to have some rude customers disregard the stacks.

Come to think of it… if she remembered correctly, this was the place one of her exes was the manager of…

She slapped her forehead, berating herself for forgetting something like that, especially when that particular ex was… less than ideal. No problems had ever really arisen, but he was a bit of a stalk –

"Minori?!"

She felt her breath catch in her throat. This wasn't happening, it wasn't happening. She only had a split second to think, so she went with the first thing that popped into her head.

"Raeger?"

She turned around, knowing all too well who it was since she had some sort of psychic ability to sense when the person she least wanted to see was around. She wasn't surprised at all to see him, though she was disappointed it wasn't Raeger.

The man laughed. "You can't tell me you've really forgotten who I am, right?"

Minori gulped. Yes, she could. She could very easily tell him she'd forgotten who he was, but then he would've made a bigger scene than what he was already doing now. Though it pained her and scared her more than anything, she decided to roll with the punches.

"I… You… might have the wrong person?" She laughed awkwardly, hoping he would buy it, but it didn't faze her when he kept persisting.

"No, I'm sure of it! You're Minori, we went to high school together! We, uh, even dated for a while." He cleared his throat. "You really don't remember me?"

She made sure to mask the recognition on her face until the very last second, when her eyes lit up. "Oh! Johnny?" she asked excitedly, laughing. "How've you been?"

Being in a big city high school taught her well, but she honestly wasn't sure how long she could keep up the façade. It wasn't that long ago she escaped from there, and it wasn't until she moved to Oak Tree that she'd finally managed to get away from him.

"Good, good! You look great," he told her in the same creepy tone she remembered. "You look like you've lost a lot of weight. I guess you're not Futominori anymore!"

She joined in with the laugh, but she really could've done without the reminder of her weight. "Ahaha… yeah. Well, you look good too!" she said, lying through her teeth. She glanced around the store briefly. "So, do you still run this place?"

"Yeah!" he said proudly. "I just got bumped up to department manager, so I'm kind of a bigger deal than before… if you're wondering."

Now it was starting to get frightening. Her heart was racing, her palms were starting to clam up, and she could feel every inch of her body beginning to shake. Because Raeger was the only one in the store with her (though he was on the other side, browsing the men's clothes, of course) she searched around frantically for him.

He was nowhere in sight.

She was alone.

Was she some sort of damsel in distress or something? She didn't need Raeger to come and save her. She could do this on her own.

"I, um, I'm kind of seeing some – "

"Minori!"

She half-expected the shout to come from Johnny again just because of the desperate tone in the voice, but once she realized it was actually Raeger's her mouth opened and she looked around for him.

Once she saw him she watched as he ran up to her about as fast as was humanly possible.

"There you are, babe."

Her cheeks flushed and she almost forgot her surroundings. "_Babe?"_

Raeger made his way to her and she almost felt like she had to take a step back because of their proximity. His face was just centimeters from hers.

Before she could hear his response or even want to, she felt the pressure of his lips colliding against hers.

It was all happening so fast, she didn't know which heartbeat was hers and which was Raeger's, but she really just didn't care. Everything felt like it was on fire – her mouth, her face, her entire body – as she melted into the kiss, letting her emotions consume her.

Was this okay? What was even happening? She didn't dare move anything but her lips as they massaged his, afraid that if she did anything else he would disappear and she would be left alone again.

Wait.

They weren't alone, this totally was _not _okay, they were in public for Goddess' sake!

She pushed him away more violently than she ever should've, face redder than ever. She stared back at him apologetically once she realized what she'd done, though.

"S-sorry."

Raeger looked like he was a little bit in pain but offered a smile anyway. "I can't kiss you in public now?"

She knew he was only trying to help, and it did help a bunch because it definitely made Johnny shut up, but she wondered if he had any idea just how much what he did affected her.

"N-no," she said shyly, turning her head away. "I… didn't hate it…"

She kept her gaze averted but could feel his heated stare and Johnny's piercing stare boring into her.

Raeger got up and, without warning, touched her again, this time wrapping an arm around her shoulder. He glared at the man in front of them.

"Do you have some sort of business with my girlfriend?" he asked, an icy tone lacing his voice.

She felt a shiver run up her spine. She didn't think she'd ever heard him speak like that.

Johnny's eyes widened just as big as Minori's did. "Ah… no, not at all. Sorry to disturb the two of you." He bowed his head professionally before seeing them off. "Please come again."

Raeger removed his arm from her shoulder and let his hand roam down to grab hers, rubbing circles along her knuckles.

"Ah… Rae – "

"Don't let go or look back until we get out of the store," he said firmly, gripping her hand more tightly to match. "You didn't want to talk to him, right? Let's not make him any more skeptical."

She nodded and managed a whimper in response, not fully understanding anything because of what just happened. Her legs were complete jelly, so she was thankful that she could lean on him a little bit as she walked to balance herself, and she could still feel her heart pounding a mile a minute.

"Oh, hey," he said, his voice almost back to normal.

Minori nearly glanced towards him but thought better – at this proximity she'd probably end up hitting the side of his face with her nose. She blushed. "Yeah?"

"That didn't count. Towards the bet, I mean."

She nodded again. "I didn't think it did," she said with a laugh, though she was feeling anything but like laughing.

In truth, the only thing she could feel was the warmth of his hand.

* * *

Um… "futome" in Japanese means something along the lines of "a little heavy"

I just lamely connected futome and Minori to make a really silly/stupid portmanteau. If you speak Japanese please scold me, it's really stupid but I laughed so hard writing it, I'm sorry

_~CGA_


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **Hi! Did you guys miss me? :)

Sorry for the two week+ absence. I really meant to update this sooner than now but I just couldn't get anything written, except for new story ideas that I really -can't- be working on right now because I have five stories that need updating.

That aside, though, I'd love to have someone I could PM and bounce ideas off of. If you're interested in rants, PM me~! (Most of my ideas are for future SoS fics, so if that entices you even more, phooooo you're in for a long ride!)

So... this isn't the last chapter of the story, but it may be the second-to-last. Originally I'd intended to do at least 7 chapters, but that'd be kinda hard now, considering the end of this chapter. Oh, well, that leaves more time for other stories.

Anyway, thanks so much to all my reviewers and favoritererers and followers! It makes my day to receive another message about a new any of those three!

_So as thanks, here's your daily dose of aaaaaaangst_

* * *

The ride home was unbearably longer than it should have been. Even though it only took around an hour to get back to Oak Tree from the city, the scenery seemed to pass by several times as the train chugged along the tracks.

It wouldn't have bothered Minori so much if she and Raeger weren't the only ones in the car.

Of course, it happened more often than not when she traveled alone because of the isolation of the town (nobody even knew where it was, let alone planned to go there), but today it was just awkward. It'd barely been a half hour since the two made it out of the clothing store.

She sighed and stared straight ahead out the window, wondering again why Raeger insisted on sitting next to her when he had the entire car to choose from.

She was honestly a little fed up with his teasing, even though she obviously enjoyed what had happened back there.

"That was a big sigh."

Minori nodded uncaringly after Raeger spoke.

Beside her, he raised an eyebrow. "What, so you're ignoring me now? Isn't that the same as leaving in the morning without saying goodbye?"

She rolled her eyes. "I'm sure you have more experience in that department than I do."

Raeger chuckled. "Yeah, because I don't let strangers into my house every night."

She didn't know if that was really sarcasm or not, but she resisted the urge to turn around and stare him down, looking for clues. "Whatever," she settled for.

Suddenly she felt pressure on her right cheek, and she whipped her head around to yell and glare at him. "What on Earth are you doing?! That hurts!"

He just kept on pinching, hurting her even more when she tried to get away. "You're not acting like yourself," he said simply. He let go after he said his piece, but he didn't look away.

"Because you aren't, either." Minori rubbed at her cheek tenderly, knowing there would be a red mark later if there wasn't one already.

"Oh?" he asked amusedly. "How so?"

She rolled her eyes again and let her hand fall to her side. "Don't play dumb with me. You know exactly what you did."

Raeger leaned back lackadaisically, arms behind his head and that smirk on his face. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Why did you kiss me?!" she all but screamed, startling him out of his pose.

He glanced back at her with an almost confused expression. "I can't kiss you?"

"No," she hissed, though she felt she really was being a little bit meaner than usual. She sighed, trying to calm herself down. "I mean… not if we're not together, y'know? And don't give me that – "

"Well, do you want to go steady then?"

Minori's cheeks burned. Suddenly she didn't even remember what she was about to say before he interrupted her. She looked up at him, almost getting lost in his deep blue irises, before mentally scolding herself and shaking her head.

"Stop teasing me."

She fixated her gaze outside the window again. They were getting closer to the town now, so thankfully she wouldn't have to put up with him for very much longer.

"What if I'm not teasing?"

She closed her eyes. "Don't say things like that."

Seriously, why was he acting so strange all of a sudden? It was like ever since the stupid bet started he'd been teasing her more than usual. Or maybe it was just that she could realize it more now that she wasn't with all the different guys? Yeah… that had to be it.

And really, she guessed she couldn't blame Raeger _too _much for wanting to get reactions from her. Both of them were used to spending nights with other partners, so when neither of them was anymore… things obviously got a little weird. Maybe they were both just in dire need of some action.

Her heartbeat sped up as her thoughts raced, mainly to what Raeger was like in regards to that. Was he fast? Did he take it slow? Did every moment count with him…?

She covered her face with both hands, only now realizing where her mind was. As she desperately tried – and failed – to get it out of the gutter, Raeger laughed beside her.

"Feeling embarrassed for rejecting me?"

"What?" she asked, a little muffled. She took her hands away and glanced over at him.

He sat still, lips pursed in a straight line, staring ahead out the same window she'd been preoccupied with. He didn't look like himself.

"It's not like you really asked me out," she said snidely. She kept watching his face, hoping for the flicker of happiness and that stupid smirk to come back, but when it didn't, her thoughts went wild again.

He wasn't being serious, right? He was never serious about that kind of thing; he only ever said that stuff to tease her and see her angry reactions.

There was no way he really wanted to be with her. Her body was gross and she had so much emotional baggage he wouldn't ever understand.

He sighed uncharacteristically. "Y'know, that's kinda the whole reason I suggested this – the bet."

She perked up. _Please don't say that._

Raeger ran a hand through his hair and put his head in his hands, propped up by his elbows as he leaned over. "I really just wanted an excuse to stop seeing so many girls and to stop you from seeing so many guys. You keep thinking it's a joke for whatever reason, but I mean it when I say I like you, Minori."

It was her turn to purse her lips now. She took in a deep breath only to let it go directly afterwards. "Raeger, I – "

"If you're just going to reject me again, I don't wanna hear it," he broke in. He lifted his head and stared at her, his hair a mess and his face a distortion of every emotion imaginable.

She gulped, honestly not knowing what to say. Seeing him like this so suddenly, it kind of scared her. She wished she could go back in time to when they were at the store. She would buck up and tell Johnny to back off, and Raeger wouldn't have needed to help her out of it.

Though, if she could go back in time, she'd really much rather go back to when she decided to move to this crazy town in the first place and prevent herself from doing it.

"I want us to remain friends, don't worry," he said, as if he could sense the anxiety coursing through her being. "I just – " he sighed – "wanted to make sure you understand, I guess. Phew." He sighed another deep sigh, and then suddenly he perked right back up again.

He smiled over at her. "Don't look so sad, idiot."

Minori glared. "I-idiot?! What?"

She rolled her eyes, catching on to what he was doing. "Why are you trying to cheer me up?"

"Because you seemed like you were worrying about a lot of stupid stuff."

She bit the inside of her cheek, getting a little miffed now. "It's not stupid stuff." She sighed. "Why bother being nice to me when I can't return your feelings?"

Raeger leaned back again with a chuckle. "I think you like me, too," he said, seeing right through her stupid attempt at lying, "but you got a lot going through that head of yours. I'll wait." He moved his hand on top of her head, ruffling her hair and messing it up.

"Hey!" she yelled, frantically trying to fix it back up. "…Thanks."

She felt pretty pathetic now, but at least he wasn't completely oblivious to her own feelings.

As the sights of Oak Tree started coming into view, Minori felt her mood lighten up. She could really go for a nice, long soak in the tub right about now.

…

It was nearly eight o'clock when Minori stumbled through her doorway, the day's chores finally done. She'd made sure she didn't tick off any more birds or overfill her watering can so it thunked her in the knee and made more bruises, but she did manage to trip over the new stepping stones she'd laid out a few days prior.

So now her left hand was all skinned up and all she wanted to do was run it under warm water, along with the rest of her body.

She trudged towards her bathroom, hastily avoiding the cardboard boxes in her way there, and yanked a towel from the closet. The water seemed to fill up more quickly than usual, though she chalked that up to "nearly fainting from exhaustion and blacking out halfway."

She didn't remember stepping out of her clothes but all that remained on her person was her bra, and as she reached her hands up to unclasp it, the memory of Raeger's touch plagued her mind. She found herself ghosting her fingers just above the skin on her back, in between the clasp and it, just like Raeger did before.

…She knew she liked him. She knew that her infatuation was quickly becoming deeper and more suited to love. She knew she was being stupid for rejecting him and brushing him off.

But she also knew that relationships brought trouble, and if they started one of their own, it would probably end rather fast because of her self-esteem issues and other problems.

Minori sighed as she relaxed into the water, leaning back against the curve of the tub. "So warm…"

The cool fall air had proven to be quite the formidable foe lately, and the season was only beginning. Thankfully she'd found a use for those carrot seeds Asche gave her a while ago, so she didn't need to buy so many, and miraculously she discovered more odds and ends seeds in her toolbox. She couldn't find an excuse to put them back in, so she planted spinach and sweet potatoes, too.

She really was surprised at how good she seemed to be at maintaining her own farm. She'd never even so much as _seen _a real cow before moving to Oak Tree.

She lowered her head down beneath the water, exhaling and smiling amusedly when bubbles came up.

It wouldn't be easy, but from now on, she could just bury herself in her work.

…

An awkward week passed.

Minori couldn't live without her apple pie, so she still stopped by Raeger's restaurant every day, but only when she knew there were other customers inside. This really only left her with lunchtime, from eleven to two, which meant she basically had to sprint there if she wanted to get in before everyone left.

…which also meant that she was usually dead tired by the time she set foot in the restaurant, and that only attracted more attention to herself.

She didn't take the counter closest to Raeger, for obvious reasons, so like every other day that week, she sat next to Penny at the crowded counter on the other side of the building.

"Hey, Minori," she greeted cheerfully.

Minori smiled back, happy that the stranger from a week ago was slowly becoming a friend.

"How come you always look so tired when you come in?" Penny asked, tilting her head to the side.

She laughed awkwardly, not anticipating that and therefore not knowing how to respond. "I, uh, always try to beat the lunch rush but I'm… so busy working on my farm that I forget to check the time?"

Raeger brought over her apple pie without missing a beat, politely welcoming her and saying hello as he set it down. He didn't linger for a second longer than necessary.

Penny looked a little skeptical but shrugged her shoulders. "If you say so. Just between you and me, though," she whispered, moving closer to Minori and hushing her voice, "I try to come here every day at this time so I can see the chef hard at work."

Minori nearly choked on her food. She grasped at her throat, hacking all the while. Finally she managed to swallow the piece of pie crust that tried to kill her.

"I… didn't peg you as that type," she said hoarsely. She didn't order her own drink so she stole Penny's, downing whatever was in her glass as fast as humanly possible. It tasted like wine, actually. She shuddered and puckered her face at its sour aftertaste. "I didn't expect that you'd be a daytime drinker, either."

Penny laughed halfheartedly. "I don't get buzzed or anything, I just drink it to get my daily fruit. I can't stand raw fruit – or cooked," she admitted, crinkling her nose as she stared at Minori's half-eaten apple pie, the fruit pieces sticking out.

Minori nodded. "Apples are the only fruit I can eat, but even then I can't eat them raw. I think it's just because my grandmother used to bake fresh apple pie every time I came over. It always smelled so good and tasted even better."

"Did she pass away?"

She nodded again. "Yeah." She cut a small piece of the pie and shoved it in her mouth before continuing. "Just recently, too. I don't mean to sound like a downer, but she really meant a lot to me. So when she died, everything just kinda… didn't make much sense anymore."

Penny laughed. "So you moved here and became a farmer!"

"Exactly!" Minori cried, laughing along with her.

After a few minutes, her pie had been decimated and she felt multitudes better than earlier in the day. Her barn animals were being finicky, especially since she'd introduced a newcomer – Bahb the sheep. Bahb was picky about where he slept, and her cow Mushy didn't seem to like where he chose because that was Mushy's spot. They got into a little spat when she was trying to milk Hanako, so in the end she just decided to take them all outside and lock the gate.

She smiled. Life really was easier when one only had to focus on work.

"So, hey."

Minori glanced over at Penny, who was again speaking in a hushed tone.

"Yeah?"

Penny smiled, and when she looked over to Minori, she grinned. "I was thinking of asking the chef out."

Minori felt her face go pale – she just hoped it didn't look like that.

"What do you think?" Penny asked eagerly.

The farmer gulped. She guessed she should've seen this coming. Penny was exactly Raeger's type – blond, perky, a little ditzy, and seemingly easy (to get along with, not the other way…), not to mention she was friendly and had a good face. There wasn't any reason for him to turn her down, especially after he told her last week, getting off the train, that the bet was off.

…Though, according to him, Minori was his type, too.

"Y-yeah, I say go for it!" she told her. "What's the worst that can happen? He'll say no?"

Penny nodded. "You're right. Well…" She stood up from her stool and clenched her fist in the air. "Here I go!"

Minori nodded back and smiled, though as she watched Penny make her way over to the counter she couldn't help feeling upset. Jealousy wasn't a new feeling for her, but it definitely wasn't one she wanted to admit she was feeling towards another girl about Raeger.

She'd already admitted to herself (despite already knowing somewhere deep down) that she liked him, but was she still allowed to like him after turning him down? Was she allowed to like him after practically ignoring him for a week?

Could she still like him even though she couldn't get over her insecurities?

She shook those thoughts away when Penny approached him, looking as innocent and cute as ever.

Minori stifled a laugh, knowing exactly what would happen now and feeling all the jealousy just evaporate from her mind. Penny might have had a chance if she didn't meet him in that particular spot.

Raeger frowned almost instantly. "Please don't come into my kitchen."

"W-what?"

"If you want something, I can take care of you at the counter."

He turned his back to her and walked further down into the kitchen, preparing whatever it was he needed to.

Penny seemed to have trouble coming to terms, even stuttering a little, but in any case she slumped her shoulders and made her way back to the stool beside Minori.

Minori clasped a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing. She honestly did feel bad, but how was she supposed to know Penny was going to do that?

"You knew he was going to say that, didn't you?" Penny slouched down and sunk her head into her arms on the table. Her voice was muffled.

Minori let her laugh out, practically guffawing at her friend's failure. "I'm… sorry," she managed to get out before breaking into another fit. She felt bad, but it didn't get to her because she found it so funny.

"Bitch," Penny muttered. She brought her head up and looked at Minori, still laughing, but when Minori met her eye she was a bit surprised to see her smiling.

Throughout the restaurant all the customers stared at the two with disdain. They _were _being awfully loud – well, Minori was, anyway – and across the way Raeger glared at her, which only made her sputter and crack up again.

She knew what Raeger was like by now, but she never imagined he would be that rude to anybody else besides her when they set foot into his kitchen.

…

Later that evening, Minori swallowed her pride and finally decided to end this awkward situation.

Raeger said he wanted to remain friends, anyway, and while that usually only brought even more awkwardness, she decided being awkward friends was better than being awkward acquaintances who ignored each other.

So she waited for nine o'clock to roll around, staring up at the sky and hugging herself when the breeze came around. Not everything that happened at the store was bad – she actually bought a wristwatch, so now she could check the time without bugging someone who was indoors.

The seconds ticked by as she watched the second hand travel around the circle. Eight-fifty-three and twenty seconds, twenty-one seconds…

It really was getting colder by the moment, she realized. Already, her warm breath was polluting the air with its little puffs, looking like smoke in the cities.

It was close enough to nine, right? She didn't really need to wait until it was right on the dot. Besides, if she did, Raeger would probably guess that she'd been waiting outside for a while and scold her.

Most of all, she just wanted to get inside where it was warm, though.

Without so much as knocking, she opened the door to the restaurant, figuring she'd find him behind the counter as always, probably wiping down the messes he'd made throughout the day.

Sure enough, there he was, and he looked a little taken aback as usual when he saw her standing there.

"Minori."

She wasn't sure if she shivered because of his tone or the cold seeping in, clashing with the warm. Either way she offered an awkward smile and shut the door behind her, taking in a deep breath before turning around and facing him again.

"So how's it goin'?" she asked stupidly, trying to make light of the situation.

He narrowed his eyes. "You should know perfectly well how it's going," he snapped.

Ouch. "What does that mean?" she shot back.

Raeger set down the glass he was drying before he knew he would break it in anger. "You set that poor girl up earlier."

"What?" she asked incredulously. "You mean Penny?"

He shrugged. "Pretty blonde. Was that her name?"

She rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips. "Yes, that's her name." She groaned and huffed and stomped her way over to the stool in front of him, already reverting back to the way they were before. "Anyway, if you wanna be mad at someone for that, be mad at yourself. You didn't have to shoot her down so quickly."

"Well, she was in my kitchen!"

"So what?!"

They stared angrily at each other for a few moments, neither saying anything or looking anywhere else. Then Minori exhaled through her nose swiftly and turned her head to the side.

"We always argue about the stupidest stuff," she murmured.

"I guess so," he agreed with a chuckle.

Minori sighed and laid her head down on the counter. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

She turned her head just enough to pass him a glare. He should've known _what_. "For everything," she admitted exasperatedly.

He smiled. "Apology accepted."

"Just like that?"

He scoffed. "Well, yeah. I can't exactly stay mad at the girl I like."

Minori felt her cheeks heat up. Boy, she sure didn't miss that this week. The feeling that she got when she knew she was blushing was one she didn't like all that much.

"What, no comeback this time?" he teased.

She really thought that was all he was doing – teasing. But he clearly insisted that was not the case. She didn't want this to turn into a repeat of what happened with Fritz, and it obviously wouldn't because she liked him back, but…

"I can't go out with you," she said in her smallest voice, hoping a little bit that he didn't hear her.

But he did, and he sighed. "I know that. It won't change my feelings, though."

She felt her hair being played with and all sorts of emotions ran through her veins, the most prominent being the butterflies in her stomach.

What was wrong with her?

What exactly was she so insecure about? Her body? Her face? The way she lived her life up until now? Raeger wasn't that shallow that he wouldn't accept all of that, so why was she so hesitant to say what she wanted to all along?

She was growing older, and this wouldn't be another stupid little high school crush. It would probably be a mature relationship, and depending on both their feelings, it might evolve into something deeper. With Raeger, it might only be physical for the most part, but as both people grow in the relationship, they get to know each other better, and hopefully that would mean they would challenge each other intellectually as well.

Raeger wasn't Johnny. He wouldn't desert her for another girl, he wouldn't stalk her, and he wouldn't only pretend to like her for the sex. She wasn't very good as discerning people's thoughts, but she could tell it was the real deal when Raeger said he liked her.

When one entered a relationship, be it long-term or short-, they agreed to give themselves to their partner. Regardless of how literal "giving oneself up" meant, she wasn't sure she was ready for it.

But she really wanted to try.

"I… like you too," she said at long last. Her voice was shaking and she knew there were tears escaping from her eyes, falling from her face and wetting his counter as the seconds rolled by.

"Minori?"

"I'm scared." She raised her head up and looked at him with pitiful, pathetic longing in her eyes. "I'm really scared."

Back in high school, she'd only had a few meaningful relationships, and even though they never lasted more than a year she devoted herself entirely to the other person. She'd discovered that not all people were meant to be monoamorous; they would lie and cheat and sneak away throughout the night when they had to.

She was naïve and had gotten hurt several times, so after graduating she decided that she would be the one who chose whether a relationship progressed or not. Soon enough, she became the person she was now – a former fat girl who slept around to make herself feel better about her appearance and personality.

But part of her couldn't help but think she was being too melodramatic about everything. Maybe she was being naïve again, but she really didn't think Raeger would hold anything against her like everyone else did. Moving here was supposed to be a fresh start, and now she thought it could finally be just that.

If Raeger would accept her, anyway.

"I like you a lot," she choked out, wiping her eyes. She wasn't crying anymore, so that was good. "It hurts to see you with anyone else, but I don't want to be some possessive freak who says you can't look at anyone else, and – "

"H-hey, Minori," Raeger called to her. He raised his hand to stroke her face affectionately. When she opened her eyes, he was blushing too, making her even redder. "We don't have to do anything you don't want to. We can just go at the pace you want to go. I'll be completely at your mercy."

She sniffed and pushed his hand away, embarrassed. "D-don't say stupid stuff like that. It sounds stupid."

He chuckled. "You said stupid twice."

"Well! Because you're two times as stupid as I am!" she spat. Her voice was still a bit hoarse from her crying episode, which only made the situation that much funnier.

The signature smirk made its way to his face. "But you like this two-time idiot."

She turned her head, face on fire. "As… as long as you aren't a two-_timing _idiot, I do like you."

She felt pressure on her hand, and when she looked, he was holding it with his own. An earnest smile crept onto his face as he watched her. He looked so different, so caring and gentle… and handsome. And now he was hers, she reminded herself with a silly smile.

"That won't ever happen," he told her reassuringly, leaning down and planting a kiss on her head.

* * *

_~CGA_


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **Welcome to the last chapter of Apple Pie! ...Sorry, but if I didn't start out with that I'd probably never say that.

So... it's been a pretty bumpy ride, but I'm finally proud enough to say that this is my first ever completed story on the site that's not a one-shot. Now, with over thirty stories, you'd think that there'd be at least _one _completed, but NOPE THIS IS THE FIRST. In my entire writing career, actually! So even before I came here to FFnet, back when I was on silly little quizilla and had super crappy fiction stories there, none of those were completed, either.

Thanks for the feedback, whether it was criticism or just praise. It all helped me in some way!

Oh, and a huge thanks to Snazziest who actually PM'd me and made me get off my ass and finally write this, lol. I hope it doesn't feel too rushed here.

So now, I hope to see most of my reviewers at my other multichap with Raeger and Annie (I changed Minori's name), What the Selfish Heart Wants (selfish but shameless advertisement).

How do I end an author's note for the end of a story... hmm. Well, thanks for everything, guys!

* * *

"So basically, a crazy ex broke into your restaurant while you were away and broke the furniture and appliances?"

Raeger had finally told her the majority of what happened to make him start his womanizing career – because one relationship turned bad could definitely change everything, and Minori knew that well already.

He nodded and laughed. "Yeah, and that's why I don't go anywhere without locking it up first. I even had a security system installed."

"Paranoid much?" she teased.

"I don't think you have the room to talk," he told her briskly. "Who was it that had to save you at the clothing store?"

Minori's cheeks burned. "That's… that's different," she insisted.

Raeger shook his head. "I don't think so." He cleared his throat. "So you wanna tell me what exactly went on there?"

Their relationship had started right about a week ago now, but Minori was too embarrassed and nervous and Raeger was too busy to go to her house and bother her about it, so this was pretty much the first time they'd been together since the night Minori confessed.

Minori sat on his lap, embarrassed anyway, with his arms wrapped around her, pulling her close. At least they sat in the comfort of his room – on his bed, even – but still, it was too much for her.

Not that she minded. Being in a relationship wasn't so bad, she realized.

Then she frowned. With Raeger it wasn't bad, anyway, but with Johnny, it was just brutal.

She inhaled a deep breath. "Well… we started dating in high school, but it was right around the time we graduated so we were both super busy. After the ceremony he called me like every day to try and set up dates or whatever. I told him I couldn't yet because my parents were starting to set up my graduation party, right? Well, he accepted that at first, and it was fine, but the next time I canceled on him he kinda blew up."

She was glad Raeger stayed silent so she could remember the moments and relay them to him, but on the other hand she almost wished he would speak up so she didn't have to. It wasn't exactly a fun time, looking back on it.

"I don't wanna sound conceited or anything, but I had a lot of friends back then and was pretty popular."

Cue the snort from Raeger, and the glare from Minori even though he couldn't see it.

"_Anyway_," she continued, "they'd invite me out from time to time just to go to the mall or whatever, but Johnny didn't like that very much. He was… insanely possessive, I guess, to the point of scaring me off. That 'year' that we dated for, I'd say only about three months of it was actually real.

"I went out with him a couple of times, though, and while we were actually together he was fine. He held the doors open for me and sometimes would pay my half of the bill, and he'd always kiss me goodnight before we left."

Raeger pinched her side before she started back up again.

"Hey!"

He chuckled. "I didn't like that part."

Oh. She couldn't really blame him, then… After all, she and Raeger had only kissed the once, back in the shop, to try and get Johnny to go away and leave her alone.

She felt a blush creep up her cheeks. Did he… want to do it again? Did he ever maybe want to go… further than that?

"A-a-anyway, he was basically the perfect gentleman when we'd go out. But when we didn't go out, he'd make me feel really guilty about leaving him out of my fun, and he'd say stuff like I didn't really love him, I just wanted some eye candy. That wasn't true at all, but I didn't know what to tell him other than I was sorry. No matter how much I apologized, though, he just wouldn't take what he said back. He insulted me and put me down constantly and then when we met up he would just pretend like it never happened, like nothing bad ever happened and he couldn't do anything wrong and – "

"You were in an abusive relationship," Raeger finished.

That wasn't what she was going to say, but… "Yeah."

He squeezed her tighter, whispering little things into her ear and making her whimper. He laughed. "I hope your crazy ex and mine get together and go through hell."

She snapped her head back towards him, almost regretting it when she realized she was just inches from his face. "What would that do?"

"I don't know." He shrugged. "But I thought if I said that it might make you feel better."

Minori looked away briefly. He'd already changed so much in such a short time… She didn't think of him the same way she used to; he was very sweet and charming and kind, something she hadn't had in a long time, and he always seemed to know just what to say.

Then it hit her.

"You're still trying to use me for sex, aren't you?"

The question seemed to take him aback because he visibly flinched and his eyes widened.

"What? Why would you even suggest that?"

She bit her lip and glanced away again. "You're too nice to me, that's why," she explained. "Whenever someone's exceptionally nice, there's always a reason for it."

"And you don't think that reason could be simple?" Raeger turned her face towards his, making her look at him.

She had a hard time meeting his eye. "What… could that simple reason be?"

He smiled. "That's a secret."

She wriggled out of his grip and slapped his arm angrily. "Raeger!"

Raeger laughed loudly. "Sorry, love. You'll just have to guess."

She raised an eyebrow. "Love? Since when do you call me that? Are you foreign? Is there something I should know about?"

He laughed again, shaking his head. "Nope. But it's a hint."

It took her a few moments, but she thought she understood. She gulped. "You… love me?"

It sounded even more ridiculous when she voiced her thoughts aloud, and even though she'd thought herself that she might be developing the same feelings, it scared her.

When he nodded she slowly backed away, sitting on the edge of his bed. "Love is… a big word. You can't use it so easily."

Why did it scare her, though? She knew she was at least a little afraid of commitment, but she thought that being with Raeger would help her overcome it. Was this a bad choice after all?

She gulped. It'd only been a week, and this was their first time really together, right? So she still had time to get over it; hopefully she had a lot of time to do that.

"It's only a big word if you mean it," he said, shaking her from her overactive thoughts.

He sat up and looked at her, taking a hand and running it through her hair, pushing some behind her ear. "And I mean it."

Minori shook her head. She could feel tears running down her face. "Don't tell me that." She sniffled." I'm gonna want to believe you."

"So believe me," he told her. He grabbed her arms so that she couldn't hide her face anymore. "I don't want you to think of the bad memories and cry anymore. We can make more memories – good ones – that we'll always remember, and we'll look back on them and laugh and smile."

She just kept shaking her head, telling him no, not to tell her things like that.

"What's so scary about it? What's so bad about me loving you?"

Minori sniffled again. "Just… don't say it. Don't say you love me because you're just gonna leave me anyway."

Raeger sighed. "Y'know, it's a huge blow to my self-esteem when you say things like that."

She wiped her eyes and opened them, looking up at him. "Wh-what do you mean?"

"Minori, do you honestly think I'm going to leave you?"

She bit her lip, glancing away at the wall, searching with her puffy, red eyes for something she could use as an excuse.

No, she couldn't use excuses anymore. This was real. It was a real relationship, with somebody she actually liked and trusted. If she was insecure now, it would never last.

Besides, when something's already broken, it can't be damaged any further, only fixed.

She slowly shook her head. "No… I-I don't really know," she admitted lamely.

He leaned forward and kissed her forehead, his lips lingering there for a few seconds. "I won't leave you. I'm not planning on ever leaving you."

"D-don't – "

"Don't tell me not to say that," he said, interrupting her. "I'll say whatever I want to, especially when it gets you all embarrassed like this."

She tried to move her hand to smack him but he had both under firm grasp. "Y-you're stupid…"

He smirked. "Yeah, but you love me anyway."

Her eyes widened and some of the fear came back. "I'm – I can't love you. Not yet."

"That's fine." He pulled her into him again, wrapping his arms around her back. "I'll wait forever if I have to."

Minori buried her face into his shoulder, trying to regain at least some of her composure. She leaned her head to the side so she could talk. "Raeger?"

"Hmm?"

The vibrations of his low tone made her shiver. "Why… why did you choose me?"

He sighed. "I think I did it subconsciously, the day I made the bet. I wanted you physically, obviously, but then it just… started to develop into something more, I guess. Like the day you went over to Eda's."

She nodded, telling him she understood and wanted to hear more.

"When you were talking with Fritz, I got immensely jealous. Don't laugh," he told her when she started to crack up. He cleared his throat. "I just kept asking myself, 'Are you okay with things the way they are now? Do you really want to let her go so she can fall for someone like _that_?'"

They shared a laugh, and then Minori felt a bit guilty.

"Y'know… he confessed to me that day."

He backed away, staring at her for a second or two. "What? Why didn't you tell me?"

She rolled her eyes but smiled anyway. "You were kind of being a jerk. A jealous jerk."

Raeger coughed off to the side – she'd learned by now that it was a habit when he was embarrassed. She could see the red tint on his cheeks. "I just didn't want to let you go."

She shook her head. "I guess now you don't have to."

"You mean you're not leaving me for Fritz?"

She giggled. "I don't think you could ever do something that bad." She frowned once she realized what she just said. Something that bad… There was always the off chance that their relationship turned out like her and Johnny's, wasn't there? What would happen then? Would she have to leave the town?

"I'm at your mercy," he reminded her, "so if I do something dumb, punch me."

She smiled, feeling instantly better. She was already good at that.

Heat rushed up to her cheeks as she thought of something that she probably _wasn't _good at that she wanted to be. "H-hey, Raeger?"

"Yeah?"

She leaned closer to him shyly, glancing down. "Can I… can we… kiss?"

"Oh, so I can kiss you now?"

"Raeger!" she hissed. "Come on! It took a lot of courage for me to ask – "

Before she could even finish her angry sentence rant, he kissed her.

It already felt a lot different than the one they shared at the clothing store. Maybe it was because their feelings were mutual, and they both knew that now, or maybe because they weren't in public, it felt better.

Regardless of the reason, she pushed back against his lips with her own, deepening the kiss, entangling her fingers into his hair. One of his hands rested on the side of her face, the other on her shoulder, making sure she wouldn't pull away.

Like she'd do that. In fact, if it kept going like this –

She pulled back, gasping for air. Her thoughts ran wild as her cheeks showed it. "S-sorry," she told him sheepishly.

He sighed, but it didn't sound like sadness. "Y'know, now that you and I are together and there's no bet in sight, we'll have to entertain each other from here on out."

A heat wave coursed throughout her body and she turned her head away, embarrassingly astonished by his words. "Th-that's a little while away." Though, she admitted only to herself, with kisses like that, it might not take that long at all.

He smiled. "I don't mind waiting. But all those cute little noises you make really – "

"Raeger!"

"Yeah, I expect that to be louder, too."

She pursed her lips and pushed him away, almost feeling bad when she heard the thump, his back colliding with the headboard. He wasn't far away from it, so she knew he wasn't hurt. "It's a _long _ways away."

He fell back onto the mattress, head slightly propped up by his pillow. "Are you sure about that?"

She looked back towards him. "What do you m – ah!"

Raeger yanked her arm so she fell on top of him, their bodies pressing together.

"R-Raeger…"

"Yes, Minori?" he asked teasingly.

She shook her head, refusing to let him get the satisfaction of seeing her flustered. "N-nothing."

He crooked his head up to place another kiss on her forehead. "It won't be nothing when I'm through with you."

…

"Minori! You want this banner here, right?"

Minori turned her head to Agate and smiled, seeing it was in the exact position. "Yeah, that's great. Thanks."

Agate nodded and began tacking it up in the tiny restaurant.

Minori looked around the place, taking in all the decorations, still disbelieving that it was her party.

"Hey!"

She turned around towards the door, instantly smiling when she saw Raeger coming through it.

"I got those other things you asked for, Minori," he said, walking up to her and setting the box on the counter next to her. "Hope you like it; it wasn't cheap."

She laughed and started rifling through it. There were some items she could've done without, but for the most part all the party favors were great. "Thanks, you did well."

Raeger grinned. "Anything for the mother of my child."

Her cheeks heated up. "C-come on, don't say stuff like that here."

"It's just Agate! She knows how whipped I am."

As if right on cue, Agate turned around and laughed. "Yes, I do. Every time I come by the restaurant he asks me 'How's Minori? Is the baby okay?' Like I go to your house everyday."

Minori stifled a laugh. She didn't know she managed to do it in just one year, but she'd successfully gotten Raeger _whipped_. Maybe it was the kid.

Raeger stepped behind the counter and put away some of the ingredients he just got from the store. "I bet you're pretty hungry."

"I am!" Agate whined, though she knew no one was asking her.

Minori laughed anyway. "You can have some of my pie if you want." She'd do anything for her best friend; within the same year she'd managed to whip Raeger, she also became very close with her. She was teaching Minori how to get animals to like her.

Agate smiled in response, then went back to hanging up the same banner.

"You want cherry pie, right?" Raeger asked.

Minori groaned. "Don't make me puke."

He chuckled. "I know, I know."

She watched as he prepared the pie crust. She'd probably never tell him (at least while she was still pregnant), but she really loved his homemade crust.

A feeling in her stomach told her that their unborn child also loved it already.

"He'll grow up to be a good chef just like his daddy," Minori mused, smiling playfully.

Raeger shook his head. "No. _She'll _be thick skulled just like her mother."

"So… you think it's a girl… and I think it's a boy?"

He nodded. "That's what it looks like."

Minori frowned. "Let's ask Agate for the tiebreaker."

"Girl!" she said almost immediately.

Minori laughed. "That's just what you want it to be so you can spoil her."

"You shouldn't ask me then," she said, sticking her tongue out teasingly. "Regardless of its gender, I'll love it to pieces, probably more than you two ever will."

Minori shook her head vigorously. "Not possible at all." She glanced over at Raeger who made pretty much the same expression.

They loved it so much already.

"All right," she said after a while, "so the party's gonna start around three. It's one right now, meaning we've still got a while. But we still have to put out the party favors and – "

"Make all the food," Raeger finished. "I know, I know. Don't rush me."

"I wonder who the real pregnant one here is," Agate mused, eliciting a laugh from both of them.

The three of them kept working – Agate on the decorations, Minori on the party favors, and Raeger on the pie – until Minori started getting a little impatient.

"Raeger, when's my pie gonna be done?"

He laughed. "It's almost done, calm down. Jeez."

She frowned. She knew it took a while to bake sometimes, but sheesh, she was hungry and wanted to eat already! "Just hurry up."

She sat back down at the bar, tracing the pattern in the countertop, bored.

"I was just messing with you," Raeger said, and suddenly she could smell apples and cinnamon. "It's done."

"Raeger!" she shouted. "I've been sitting here, starving!"

He laughed. "I just had to add something special. And you've been standing, not sitting, all this time, y'know."

Minori looked up at him threateningly and he backed away, knowing his place. He gave her a fork from the drawer and let her start digging in.

It was hot, she realized, meaning that it wasn't too long ago it came out of the oven; she was just surprised she didn't hear it ding. Was she that involved with the party favors?

The apple and cinnamon danced in her mouth and created the same savory flavor she loved so much since she was just a little girl. She made a satisfactory noise that told him it was good, and he smiled.

"Just be careful," he told her. "I don't think I made it the best this time, so there might be some chunks here and there."

Why was he so worried about the pie all of the sudden? He never did that. He'd never serve something he wasn't proud of – but even though he kept saying that weird junk, she couldn't stop eating it because she was hungry.

"What's gotten into – wait, what is this?"

She held up a fragment of the pie she cut with her fork to show it to him. "There really is something in here."

"What is it?"

"I don't know! That's why I'm asking you, you made… Is this what I think it is?"

When she looked up at him, he just smirked. Agate stayed quiet. "What do you think it is?"

She had a hard time finding words. "R-Raeger, what's – what are you doing?"

He came around the corner of the counter and stood in front of her, looking at her expectantly.

"Raeger, no, you can't be seriously – "

"Shh," he told her. He put a finger to her lips in that cheesy way. She gulped and stayed silent. Was this really happening?

"Minori."

She nodded. "Y-yeah?"

He smiled at her reassuringly. "You know I love you, and I would do anything to make you happy."

She nodded again. "I-I love you, too, Raeger, but – "

"And I would want nothing more than to stay by your side forever so we can raise this child together with nothing but love. So…"

He took her fork and quickly discarded the dry pie crust that hung around the ring. He wiped it off on his shirt before continuing. "Minori…" He took her hand and kissed it tenderly. "Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

Minori felt tears stream all the way down her face but she couldn't stop them because they weren't from sadness. For the first time in a very long time, she wasn't crying because she felt insecure or scared or upset.

She was so ridiculously, incredibly happy.

She remembered Agate was here so she looked at her briefly and when she just kept nodding her head excitedly, Minori knew there wasn't even a question at all.

"Yes, of course."

She never thought she would ever get a happy ending like this, but she couldn't honestly say, without feeling guilty, that she deserved it.

She deserved Raeger, she deserved this child, she deserved to have such a great person like Agate be her best friend – and her maid of honor now, really.

And as she clung to Raeger's neck tightly as he swung her around in excitement and happiness, she realized she wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

_~CGA_


End file.
